What will you find in Springfield, Mass? (Not the Simpsons! Gosh, a male strip club!)

[jamier]

Maybe a good choice as a fun weekend destination for New Yorkers.

 

Springfield, Massachusetts might, at first thought, seem an unlikely weekend break destination. However this city has plenty to offer alongside a surprisingly lively gay scene. Plus it’s easy enough to reach by bus or train from New York City, and allows for a great day-trip to the cute college town of Northampton – known to have the highest ratio of lesbians in a US city… mmmmmmm lesbians!

 

But without doubt, the highlight of a visit to Springfield is Club Xstatic, my new favorite gay strip club.

 

So here’s my attempt at a kinda’ “36 hours in Springfield” write-up based on my last couple of trips…

 

Head to Springfield on Amtrak’s “Weekend Getaway Fare” (http://www.amtrak.com) or book in advance for discount fares on Greyhound buses (http://www.greyhound.com). The train and bus stations are located within the downtown Business Improvement District, which means the area is pretty well policed and as safe as any large city these days.

 

Bag a hotel on Priceline.com by bidding on only 3 ½ -star hotels in Springfield; that way you virtually guarantee getting either the Marriott or Sheraton, both within a block of each other, and located in the best part of the city. (Don’t bid for other stay ratings else you risk being located in West Springfield, and would then need to rely on taxis or a car.)

 

I arrived on a Friday evening and quickly checked into the Marriott (paying less that $60 a night through Priceline), then grabbed a light meal at the hotel’s sports bar which offers pretty good value and good company for a lone traveler at the expansive bar with the friendly barman.

 

Then it was time to head to Club Xstatic, located several blocks away, easily reached by walking through the city’s Club Quarter. The cover on Friday and Saturday nights is just $5. Drinks are New York prices, but not extortionate, in fact, I think I paid just $5 or $6 for a premium bottle beer. The bar is on the left as you walk in along one side of the club, with the stage and DJ cage opposite and then further seating toward the back. There’s a lap dance lounge tucked around the back too, where lap dances cost $10 for five minutes. The dancers take to the stage two at a time for around 10-minute sets, stripping, dancing in their underwear and naked, often interacting with each other and the poles on stage. When I was there, there were about a dozen dancers, ranging from students eager to earn extra money, to more muscular local guys. Those dancers not on stage chat to customers in the club.

 

ClubXstatic is very welcoming, and has a neighborhood feel to it. The bar staff and door staff were friendly. And locals too. For a lap dance, the dancer writes their name and start-time on a sheet before the dance commences. It’s a contact dance all the while the dancer has their underwear on, but if your lap-dancer gets naked, you can’t touch at that point! There are clocks beside each chair so you and the dancer can keep an eye on the time. I had several dances over two nights, and all the dancers were honest, friendly and interactive. Some are more interactive than others are. Some customers might not so much like that the club does attract and welcome female customers too, although it was all pretty much low key and a pleasant atmosphere. A few of the dancers paid more attention to the couple of ladies who arrived for a while.

http://www.clubxstatic.com

 

Other nightlife in Springfield: next door to Club Xstatic is a gay bar - Pure. Then a few blocks away is The Pub and Quarry Lounge – New England’s oldest gay bar, which opens at 2pm for laid-back afternoon drinking. For dancing, there’s Oz.

http://www.thespringfieldpub.com

http://www.ozspringfield.com

 

On Saturday, I took the bus (http://www.peterpanbus.com) about 30 minutes to the pretty college town of Northampton for $15 round-trip. This is an immensely walkable town. Well worth visiting is Smith College Museum of Art (http://www.smith.edu/artmuseum/) with a comprehensive permanent collection, and to wander through the beautiful college grounds with its historic buildings, lake and botanic gardens (http://www.smith.edu/garden/). The town has many bars, restaurants, galleries and shops to explore. You can easily enjoy spending a few hours in Northampton. I had lunch at the Toasted Owl Tavern (http://www.toastedowl.com) which had great local beers and reasonable food.

 

Saturday night, and another night at Club Xstatic, of course! It’s well worth planning to visit Springfield to be at the club on the fourth Saturday of the month to watch the dancer contest. Each dancer puts on a show on stage, resulting in some great viewing. While the club gets packed, there are also more dancers, so the lap dance lounge gets busy.

 

Sunday morning, before returning to New York, time to visit the Springfield Museums (http://www.springfieldmuseums.org). Located just a few blocks from the Marriott, the museums are actually really interesting, and I loved the Dr. Seuss National Sculpture Garden. Then wander a little in Springfield, especially historic Mattoon Street which is adjacent to the museums, and down to the riverfront by the Connecticut River where the River Park is taking shape. Springfield has some noteworthy architecture with ornate Victorian buildings along Main Street and an impressive Symphony Hall, City Hall and clock tower defining the skyline with two contemporary office towers. On the downside, there is virtually no shopping center within downtown Springfield thanks to a nearby out-of-town mall. The result it that it appears to be somewhat a ghost town at weekends and evenings, although the Club Quarter stays reasonably busy, and exploring the areas I mentioned above is safe and enjoyable.

[+ newatthis]

welcome and thanks!

 

Hey Jamier --

 

Thanks for the great description of the club and the area. Looking forward to hearing more from you.

 

--new

[+ g56whiz]

WOW! If Springfield had been like this when I grew up there in the '50's I might not have fled to the Big Apple. Thanks for the walk down memory lane. I used play hide go seek in the Museums of the Quadrangle. And locals call that clock tower the Campanile. There are two other museums of note in the city: The Armory museum http://www.rediscov.com/spring.htm and the Basketball Hall of Fame http://www.hoophall.com/. And when I was last there several years ago, the Student Prince http://www.studentprince.com/ was as good a place to eat as when I used to be treated there for getting a good report card. Ah the memories!

[+ LIguy]

Thanks so much for this report.I have been planning to drive up on a Saturday and stay the night.I'm in western Long Island so it's not a far drive.

On their web site they say the Holiday Inn of Springfield will give you a 10% discount if you mention Club Xstatic and the hotel is very close to the club.I would prefer a Marriot or Sheraton but could you tell me about how many blocks you were from the club and to the other bars? I really hate taking my car out of the hotel lot and driving in a strange city especially after having a few drinks and much prefer to walk.

Thanks for any info you can give.

[+ g56whiz]

I was a bank messenger in the dim dark days of your. If my memory serves, the whole of downtown Springfield equivalent to 4 or 5 long blocks by 3 or 4 short blocks wide from State to Liberty Street, Columbus Ave to Chestnut St. You can walk anywhere quite quickly. The club appears to be in at the northeast corner of the square I've defined and the Holliday Inn is perhaps a block away. For some time that was not the safest block to walk late at night. If I'm not mistaken, the parking is outdoors, well lit but at your own risk. The Marriott is in the middle of the western border of the square I've defined but parking, in an open garage, is $14 an night. You can, but I wouldn't late at night. The streets of downtown Springfield are barren after 7 or 8PM.

 

Be sure to try the Student Prince Restaurant on Fort St. Not only is the food at least as good or better than the German places in New York but the prices are more reasonable (as you'd expect) but the stein collection lining the walls is breathtaking. You have to know that they date from before WWII and are incredibly valuable. Plus you can watch Rudi brow beat his staff just like his father did. You WILL need your car to get to the museums I mentioned.

 

One more thing for wordsmiths: Springfield is the home of C.G. Marriam Webster Co., publishers of the Websters Collegiate Dictionary. For gunsmiths, it's also the home of Smith & Wesson (at least I think they're still there).

 

Enjoy. We'll expect a full report.

 

And thank you jamier for starting this off

[jamier]

The Holiday Inn on Dwight Street is just two to three blocks from Club Xstatic. I've stayed there once and really like it. The restaurant on the top floor has nice views and, although quiet, has good service, especially the sports bar side with burgers, beers, etc. The only downside of the Holiday Inn is that it is just outside the Business Improvement District and the neighborhood just a couple of blocks further west is quite shady. I felt safe walking the couple of blocks to Club Xstatic though. Personally I just find the Marriott and Sheraton to be in a "nicer" location as I don't have a car. The walk from the Sheraton or Marriott to Club Xstatic is around seven or eight blocks, and they are also closer to the Club Quarter and bars like The Pub.

 

I always thought the Student Prince restaurant would be really expensive for some reason, but just took a look at their website (thanks g'whiz) and will definitely check it out next time. They seem to have some nice draft beers too.

 

Oh, and another cutey college town within a very easy drive or bus ride from Springfield is Amherst. Though I prefered Northampton.

[+ LIguy]

Thanks for the info,guys! HHmm it might be fun to place an ad on Craigslist and hire a cute college guide/companion for the evening.

[zeferrelli]

damn good review - thanks!

[jamier]

Revisiting Springfield and ClubXstatic

 

Following my visit just over a year ago, I was just back in the Happy Valley for a few days.

 

The city is still a fun place to visit and, thanks to a tip from fellow posters on here, I enjoyed drinks and dinner at The Student Prince, a fun historic restaurant right downtown.

 

Club Xstatic is also still a fun place. Or fun -ish. On the downside, the cost for lap dances has doubled to $20 per five minutes. The result is a pretty empty bar, even on Friday and Saturday nights save for a muddled mix of several women and a handful of locals. Dancers now hand over a quarter of their lap-dance earnings to the club, but all dancers now get paid a little to dance on stage for the night. Overall still a nice welcoming atmosphere, but oftentimes with more dancers than patrons, the dancers aren't making much money, and many favorites have left. Still, dollar tips work well, and fun times can be had. Drink prices are reasonable and the cover (weekends only) is $5.

 

The new Springfield History Museum is worth a visit for its vast collection of Indian motorcycles and other interesting local artefacts. It brings the tally of museums in the "Museum Quarter" to five - impressive. Neighboring college town and lesbian mecca, Northampton, is still very much buzzing and well worth a side visit. Great exhibitions at the Smith College Art Museum, plus don't miss the botanic Garden there.

 

So, in summary: fun, but not quite as fun as it's been in the past!